A water catchment located about 15 miles east of Flagstaff and used by wildlife has been contaminated with fuel.
Arizona Game & Fish department spokesperson Nathan Gonzalez said the incident, which occurred around Sept. 15, was discovered by members of partner organizations who routinely check on water supplies.
“When they were checking on this particular catchment it smelled immediately like fuel and there was kind of like an oily slick on top of the water. So what some of our partners had to do was actually drain the entire catchment and high pressure hose the whole catchment and clean it up before they could refill it," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez also said the purposeful contamination is despicable, especially given this year’s limited monsoon rainfall.
The Arizona Elk Society has offered a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call the AZGFD vandalism hotline at 1-800 VANDALS (826-3257). Callers can remain anonymous and should reference case #19-003149.